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There were 3 matches played in the NBA playoffs on April 16th. In the first match of the day, the Raptors defeated the Magic by a scoreline of 111-82. The series is now tied 1-1 after the Magic surprisingly won the first match courtesy of a three-pointer from Augustin in the final minute of the game.
The second match saw a wonderful affair between the second-seeded Denver Nuggets and the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs had won the first match of the series and had taken a 10 point lead in this match till halftime. But the Nuggets fought back to win this match and tie the series at 1-1.
The final match of the night saw the Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Portland Trail Blazers. The Thunder were the better team for much of the first half but looked absolutely clueless in the second half. The Blazers won the match 114-94 and have taken a 2-0 lead in the series.
Let's have a look at some of the key talking points:
#3 Kawhi Leonard dominating for the Raptors
Kawhi Leonard has already won a finals MVP in the playoffs. He is one of the best players in the NBA and the Raptors traded for him with the aim of getting deep in the playoffs.
Leonard proved his mettle in this match as he dominated from the start for the Raptors. Leonard finished the match with 37 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists on an incredible 15-22 shooting from the field.
Kyle Lowry also had a very good match. He finished the match with 22 points and 7 assists on 8-13 shooting from the field. This was a great change in fortunes for Lowry, as in the last match, Lowry became the highest paid player ever to go scoreless in a playoff game.
#2 Fourth quarter takeover from Jamal Murray
The Nuggets had already dropped the first match against the Spurs. They were again in deep trouble in this match. At one point in the third quarter, the Spurs led 78-59. But the Nuggets fought back valiantly to take the match.
Jamal Murray scored 21 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter alone. He was absolutely unguardable in the 4th as he rallied the Nuggets for the win. He started the match shooting 0-8 from the floor. In the fourth quarter, he shot 8-9 from the field.
Nikola Jokic was also great for the Nuggets as he finished with a near triple-double. He ended the match with 21 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists. Paul Millsap and Gary Harris also scored above 20 points in the match and provided great support. The series is now currently tied 1-1 with the Spurs having the home court advantage.
#1 Dynamic Duo of the Blazers dominate against the Thunder
The backcourt duo of the Blazers dominated in this game against the Thunder. CJ McCollum top-scored for the Blazers with 33 points. He also had 8 rebounds and 5 assists for the match. He shot 12-22 from the field.
Damian Lillard finished the match with 29 points and 6 assists. He shot 4-8 from the 3PT line. The match was a very tight affair in the first half but the Blazers pulled away in the third quarter outscoring the Thunder 37-21. They never looked back and in the end, finished with a comfortable win.
Russell Westbrook almost had a triple-double. He finished with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 13 assists. Paul George had the team high 27 points. The Thunder really need to pull things together if they want to advance to the next round of the playoffs.
